Chapter 56

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Six months after the dungeon was opened to the public, several insurance companies finally began offering life insurance for adventurers.

The death benefit limits and medical coverage were low, and the application conditions and premiums were high, but there was a steady stream of applicants. Each insurance company had to increase the number of reception staff to handle the influx of applicants.

"Part of the application conditions for this insurance involves the adventurer's rank. May I ask for your adventurer rank, please?"

"My rank? I'm officially an E-rank, but..."

"Thank you. Based on your age and rank, the monthly premium for the insurance you're interested in would be around this much..."

An employee explained the premium to a male adventurer in his mid-20s who was interested in applying for insurance, using a quick reference table.

"Wait? Isn't this much higher than the premium listed in the advertisement pamphlet?"

"I apologize, but the premium listed in the advertisement pamphlet is for F-rank adventurers. Since higher-ranked adventurers are generally considered to face higher-risk monsters, the premiums tend to be higher."

"...Well, I'm actually a new adventurer who just got an E-rank because I accidentally obtained a high-value magic item..."

"I apologize. Currently, the insurance products we offer to adventurers have rank requirements but no requirements based on the length of service. For the insurance we are selling now, the length of service is not a factor."

"I see..."

"I'm sorry, but... what do you plan to do? Do you want to cancel your application for this insurance?"

The man, who had been considering applying, scratched his cheek as he pondered the higher-than-expected premium.

"It's not an amount I can't pay... But, to ask, are the premiums for other insurance companies similar?"

"Yes, as far as we know, the coverage and other details may differ, but the premiums are not significantly different."

"...I see."

"If you're having trouble deciding, why don't you take the application home and take some time to think about it? The premium for adventurer insurance is generally higher than other types of insurance."

"...No, I've decided. I would like to apply under these conditions."

"Understood. Please review the application documents and fill in the necessary information."

The man reviewed the thick documents with the terms and conditions that the staff member handed him and filled out the application form.

"...Yes, I've confirmed. The application documents are complete. Next, you will need to visit a designated medical facility for a doctor's examination. Once we receive the written report from the doctor, we will conduct a review. If there are no issues, your application will be approved, and your insurance certificate will be issued. Also... how would you like to pay the first premium? The coverage will start once the application, the doctor's report, and the first premium payment are all completed, so it's better to pay as soon as possible."

"Can I pay the premium here?"

"Yes, of course."

The man paid the first premium and completed the payment process. The staff member completed the payment procedures and handed him the change and receipt.

"The payment is now complete. For future premium payments, would you like to set up an automatic bank transfer?"

"Yes."

"Then, the procedures here are complete. All you need to do is submit a copy of the medical report. Thank you for your business today."

The staff member bowed and announced the completion of the procedures. The man lightly bowed in return, took the documents, and left the office.

"Phew... Next, please!"

The staff member called out, and a female adventurer in her late 20s, who had been waiting, took her seat.

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On a Sunday morning, in a busy intersection of a bustling street, friends and supporters of adventurers who had died in the dungeon were using megaphones to protest, claiming the government's responsibility. Their main argument was that the government's negligence in ensuring the safety within the dungeon made the government responsible for the deaths of the adventurers.

However, the reactions of the people passing through the intersection were not favorable and were rather cold. For example...

"Here they go again, making such incoherent claims on a Sunday morning..."

"Really, they never get tired of it, do they?"

"They block the road every week, causing a nuisance."

"Why should the government be responsible for people who died in the dungeon at their own risk?"

"Who knows?"

"They're just a nuisance early in the morning."

Most of the people passing by had similar reactions.

Even if they understood the content of the protesters' claims, the repeated assertions in TV, magazines, and online media that dungeon exploration was at one's own risk and that adventurers faced high risks and high rewards had solidified the general public's perception that deaths in the dungeon were the responsibility of the adventurers themselves.

As a result, the claims of the protesters, who were essentially a "victims' association," were not well-received or empathized with by the general public.

"Damn it! Why won't anyone listen to us!?"

"They're all being brainwashed by the government! That's why they won't accept our claims!"

"Right! Right! It's a government conspiracy!"

Receiving only cold responses from the passersby, they complained and consoled each other within their group.

However, their behavior further cooled the reactions of the passersby. One of them turned to the leader, who was holding the microphone.

"Leader! Let's start talking about the insurance payouts! People should listen to us then!"

"Y-Yeah, that's a good idea!"

The man called the leader straightened his chest, gripped the microphone, and began to criticize the insurance companies for not paying out life insurance. This did cause some people to stop and listen, but as the claims continued, those who had stopped began to leave. Perhaps their spirits were broken by the lack of acceptance, and they began to prepare to leave and eventually departed.

However, they left behind their slogan-bearing placards and flyers, either forgotten or discarded, scattered around. The passersby and the staff of the nearby shops grimaced in annoyance.

"Really. If you're going to protest, at least clean up after yourselves."

"True. To make incoherent claims and then leave garbage behind... sigh."

Uniformed police officers, who had been monitoring the protest group, appeared with garbage bags and quickly collected the trash.

"Protests like this have been decreasing recently..."

"Maybe it's because the entry restrictions to the dungeon are about to be lifted? And recently, insurance for adventurers has also become available..."

"Maybe... Alright, the cleanup is done. Let's go back and finish the report."

"Okay."

The police officers, who had finished cleaning up, left while thinking about the content of the report on the street protest.

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In a conference room, a group of men in suits were gathered for a report meeting. The slides showed the company's performance since the appearance of the dungeon, indicating steady growth.

"Is it correct to say that our company is growing steadily?"

"Yes. Thanks to the increased demand for products made from dungeon materials, we are generally doing well."

The elderly man sitting at the head of the table asked, and a middle-aged man stood up to answer.

"Generally?"

"Yes. The competition for dungeon materials has intensified, making it difficult to secure the materials."

Initially, when the dungeon was opened to the public, many companies were hesitant to handle dungeon materials due to skepticism. However, as the usefulness of dungeon materials became apparent, the number of companies handling them increased rapidly.

"Does that mean we need to reduce production?"

"Yes. Given the difficulty in securing materials, it is challenging to maintain the current production pace."

"Can we import materials from abroad?"

"That would be difficult. Countries with dungeons also have high demand for dungeon materials and cannot meet their domestic needs. Moreover, other companies in those countries face the same issues, making large-scale imports challenging."

"I see."

The elderly man frowned at the middle-aged man's response.

"Excuse me, may I speak?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

A middle-aged man with sharp eyes behind glasses hesitantly raised his hand.

"To ensure a stable supply of materials, how about setting up a dedicated department within our company to secure materials?"

"Wait, don't we already have a materials procurement department?"

"No, I mean... how about securing dedicated adventurers for our company?"

"Huh!?"

The conference room buzzed with excitement.

The idea of securing dedicated adventurers had been discussed before.

"Three months have passed since the adventurer ranking system was introduced. With a metric to scout promising candidates, it should be possible to select them..."

"However, there are various issues with employing adventurers as company employees..."

"That's true. Adventurers already have a high risk of injury or death. If they are employed by the company, their trips to the dungeon for material collection would be considered company business. Injuries in the dungeon would be considered work-related injuries, and deaths would be considered work-related deaths. The impact on the company's reputation could be significant."

"Repeated work-related injuries and deaths could be fatal for the company's reputation."

Opposing opinions quickly arose from the meeting attendees.

However, the middle-aged man shook his head slightly and continued.

"No, my proposal is to establish a subsidiary company dedicated to obtaining dungeon materials."

"…A subsidiary?"

"A company where many adventurers are employed and openly engage in dungeon exploration to obtain materials. If we clearly state the nature of the company's business from the beginning, the reputational damage from adventurer injuries or deaths can be minimized."

"…Indeed."

The attendees' opinions began to waver at the middle-aged man's proposal.

"As long as it is clear that the injuries or deaths are the responsibility of the subsidiary and that the adventurers are aware of the risks involved..."

"Indeed, the general perception is that adventurers face high risks and high rewards."

"Even the risk of injury or death..."

"And we would be just one of the companies doing business with them..."

The attendees looked at each other silently and then focused their gaze on the elderly man at the head of the table.

"…"

After a moment of contemplation, the elderly man slowly opened his eyes and spoke.

"…Very well. I approve of establishing a wholly-owned subsidiary company dedicated to dungeon exploration and material collection. However, the representative director of the subsidiary will be you, the proposer."

A quiet murmur of approval rippled through the conference room.

The middle-aged man, pleased that his proposal was accepted, bowed deeply.

"Understood, thank you."

"But be sure to pay close attention to the safety of the adventurers."

"Of course. It's best if there are no injuries or deaths. We will strive to establish a robust support system."

"Good..."

Thus, the establishment of the wholly-owned subsidiary was decided.

However, the plan for the subsidiary was quickly put into motion with some modifications. The middle-aged man was appointed as the representative director on a transfer basis. Once the decision was made, the process moved quickly, and the parent company provided the subsidiary with a virtually interest-free loan to establish it as an affiliated company.

The company name was D Material Co., Ltd. The business scope included dungeon exploration, collection of dropped items, and the buying and selling of dropped items. The office was located on one floor of a mixed-use building near the parent company, with a capital of 50 million yen. There were restrictions on the transfer of shares.

The middle-aged man, sitting at a system desk in the center of a spacious room, leaned back in his chair and looked up at the fluorescent lights on the ceiling.

"First, I'll gather administrative staff and adventurers with exploration qualifications from within the company on a transfer basis. Using them as the core, we'll form a material collection team and conduct joint training... Ah, and we'll need to place job advertisements and scout promising adventurers."

The middle-aged man, contemplating the future, reached for the phone on his desk.

"Is this the head of the human resources department? I have a matter to discuss regarding the previous issue..."

The corners of the middle-aged man's mouth curled up in a pleased smile.

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Starting from the next chapter, we will enter Chapter 5.