Chapter 87

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Feeling a bit sluggish, I managed to finish the morning classes and welcomed the lunch break. I stood up and called out to Yūji, who seemed to be his usual self despite his morning slump.

"Yūji, let's go eat."

"Sure, that's fine."

"And I have something to discuss, so I'll invite Hōshii too, is that okay?"

"Sure, but... what's the matter?"

"I'll explain it all to Hōshii. I'll go call her, so wait a moment."

I asked Yūji for permission and walked over to Hōshii, who was talking with her friends. She was chatting happily with them, and I hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to speak.

"Can I talk to you for a bit, Hōshii?"

"Kuon? What's the matter?"

"I have something to discuss, so would you like to have lunch together? ...Of course, Yūji will be there too."

I interrupted Hōshii's conversation with her friends and invited her to lunch. When I did, the girl she was talking to looked surprised for a moment, so I quickly explained that Yūji would also be joining us. I didn't want any rumors to start.

"Discussion? Is it something urgent that can't wait?"

"No, it's not particularly urgent. If it's inconvenient, we can talk after school..."

"Okay..."

Hōshii turned to her friends, exchanged a few words, and then gave me a nod of agreement.

"Sure."

"Thanks. Shall we go then?"

"Okay."

Hōshii took out her bento from her bag, said a quick goodbye to her friends, and stood up. I returned to my seat, grabbed my bento and notebook, and moved to Yūji.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No, where's Hōshii?"

"She's coming."

"Got it. Let's go then."

"Sure."

I called out to Yūji, who was preparing his bento, and we met Hōshii at the classroom entrance. We then moved to the courtyard bench we often use.

Sitting on the bench and eating our bentos, I told them about Mika and the others. At first, they listened with a puzzled look, but as my story progressed, their faces tensed and they sighed.

"Is that true?"

"Yeah, unfortunately, it seems to be. I checked with a few first-year students who have younger siblings, and they all had similar stories."

"..."

Yūji rubbed his forehead, looking like he had a headache. Hōshii also sighed, looking like she was in pain.

"So, did you check with the teachers?"

"I didn't get a chance to talk to them yet, so I haven't confirmed it."

"Right. But if so many people have similar stories, it seems unlikely that Mika and the others are making it up."

"I agree. If they were lying, they would have come up with a better story, right?"

"True."

Hōshii also sighed, looking like she had a headache.

"So, what do you want to do, Daisuke?"

"I want to include the two of them in our party and train them as explorers."

"Include them in our party?"

"I was planning to focus on low floors to improve our coordination until summer break, so I think it would be a good opportunity..."

I don't plan to take beginners like Mika and the others to the 30th floor or so. If I did, they would get seriously injured, even with our supervision.

"Sure, we had that plan, but bringing amateurs like Mika and the others would change things, wouldn't it?"

"You're right, Kuon. Training for coordination and guiding newbies are different..."

"I understand, but I think it's a good opportunity."

"Good opportunity?"

I handed each of them a notebook I had brought along with my bento.

"I reviewed the videos of our dungeon runs that I've recorded over the Golden Week. This notebook lists the issues I noticed. Take a look."

They opened the notebooks I handed them, looking puzzled. After reading the first page, they looked at me with a disturbed expression.

"Hey, these are..."

"The red ones are the issues that need immediate improvement. Yellow ones are for early improvement, and blue ones are for improvement if possible. Of course, these are based on my judgment, so if you have any suggestions for changes, I'm open to them..."

"There are a lot of red and yellow ones..."

"That's what I found after reviewing them."

"..."

They put down their half-eaten bentos and read the notebooks I gave them intently.

"As you can see, we have a lot of issues in our dungeon actions. We've been relying too much on our excellent skills."

"From what I can see, you're right, Daisuke. Our dungeon actions have a lot of problems, not just in coordination."

"True. When I see them written out, I realize a lot of things."

Yūji frowned, and Hōshii looked like she had a headache. The total number of items listed in the notebook is around 70 to 80.

"Most of the issues listed in the notebook are skills that we would naturally develop if we didn't rely on our skills and just explored the dungeon normally."

"True. We might have been relying too much on our skills..."

"Right? That's why I think there are benefits to taking Mika and the others into the dungeon."

"..."

Taking amateurs with us means we need to be more cautious during exploration and conduct thorough pre-checks for traps and other hazards. Parts that we used to handle casually with our levels and skills will no longer be covered up with a guard target present. It's a good environment for retraining, and I think it's a good opportunity to reassess our skills through guiding Mika and the others.

"Yūji, you understand the benefits of guiding others, right?"

"Yeah, I get it. Guiding others can help us reflect on our own shortcomings and improve. But is it worth the risk of taking Mika and the others into a dangerous dungeon?"

"Even with some risk, I think it's necessary for them to experience it. It will benefit not only us but also Mika and the others."

"Hmm, I see..."

Yūji seemed to be struggling with my words. Just being protected won't help Mika and the others. If it's not a life-threatening situation, it's better for them to have some experience.

"Hey, Kuon. Changing the subject, but if we're taking Mika and the others, will we use the slime dungeon beforehand?"

While Yūji was thinking, Hōshii, after confirming no one was around, asked me with a slightly worried look if we would use the slime dungeon beforehand. Indeed, if we level up in the slime dungeon beforehand, the risk would be reduced...

"I was planning to discuss that with the two of you."

"..."

"I was thinking of telling my family about the existence of the dungeon, using Mika and the others as a trigger."

"Eh?"

Hōshii looked taken aback, and Yūji narrowed his eyes, trying to understand my intentions. Telling the family about the dungeon means more people will know about it, and more people knowing increases the risk of leaks. Even if they try to keep it secret, they might slip in casual conversations. Even if the leaked information is fragmented, it could eventually reveal the whole picture of personal slime dungeons.

"Yeah, I expected that reaction."

"Of course. You're talking about revealing something we've kept secret to our family, even if it's limited to them."

"Right. You understand the risks, don't you, Kuon?"

"Yeah, I get it. I understand what you two are saying."

If the information about personal slime dungeons leaks, national-level intervention is expected. Our home and surroundings could be seized, and our family could be detained under the pretext of protecting important individuals. We might also be detained and thrown into government-owned dungeons under the guise of voluntary civilian cooperation.

"But we can't keep it a secret forever..."

"True, I guess."

"Right."

We all sighed. With the dungeon entrance in a desk drawer, it's impossible to keep it hidden indefinitely. It's actually surprising that we managed to keep it a secret from our family for a year. It wouldn't be strange if it had been discovered at some point.

"So, I think it's better to tell them in a controlled environment rather than having the existence of the dungeon revealed unexpectedly."

"Maybe you're right, Daisuke. It might be safer to talk about it under your control rather than having it exposed at a bad time."

"True. It might be better than having the existence of the dungeon revealed without any preparation."

They reluctantly agreed with my reasoning. Honestly, I also want to keep the slime dungeon a secret. I'm unsure how my family will react, and I feel guilty for keeping it a secret. But I've always thought that I would have to tell them eventually.

"Hey, Daisuke. When do you plan to tell your family? Not today or tomorrow, right?"

"No, we need some preparation. Mika and the others will take the explorer exam after the mid-term exams... so, about a month from now?"

"A month, huh..."

There are mid-term exams in late May. If the existence of the dungeon affects Mika and the others and they fail, it would be unfair. Considering this, it's better to tell them after Mika and the others pass the explorer exam. If we tell them before the exam, they might want to level up, which could lead to a similar situation as mine, attracting unwanted attention from the guild.

"True, that seems reasonable."

Yūji, deep in thought, nodded in agreement with the preparation period I suggested. However...

"Sorry, Kuon, but I can't agree to telling the family about the dungeon."

"Eh?"

Just as I was relieved to have Yūji's approval, Hōshii shook her head apologetically, refusing to disclose the information to the family.

"I agree that we need to tell them eventually. We can't keep it a secret forever. But I'm against increasing the number of people who know about the dungeon."

"Why?"

"Why...?"

Hōshii looked troubled and glanced at Yūji before speaking.

"Kuon, to be honest, our current situation is quite unique, isn't it?"

"Unique?"

"Yes. Do you know how many explorer teams in Japan have defeated area bosses, excluding self-defense teams and corporate-backed teams?"

"Um, 20 to 30 teams?"

I thought that with dedicated exploration for about half a year, that many teams could achieve it. However, my guess was apparently wrong. Hōshii sighed deeply.

"Far fewer. You can count them on one hand."

"Eh?"

"According to my research, all successful area boss defeats were by large teams of dozens of people or corporate-backed teams."

Hōshii's words made me pause. One hand? Is that true?

"How did you find that information? I don't think it's listed on the guild's website..."

Right, as Yūji said, where did you get that information? The guild's policy is not to disclose personal information unless the individual requests it, so it should be impossible to find out.

"The websites of the explorer teams. When I searched for 'area boss' and 'defeat,' a few came up. Area boss defeats are good publicity, so all teams proudly advertise them on their websites. For companies, it's a business achievement, and for combined teams, it's a good way to attract members and sponsors."

"True. For teams like ours, area boss defeats are great publicity."

Indeed, it's rare for teams not to advertise such achievements. What we consider a minor challenge might be a formidable enemy for other explorers.

"After reading the defeat processes on their websites and excluding suspicious ones, only four remained. I think these four teams have successfully defeated area bosses. Even including those who don't openly advertise their achievements, the number shouldn't exceed the number of fingers on both hands."

"..."

"Also..."

Hōshii's expression darkened, and she seemed hesitant to speak.

"Since the latter half of Golden Week, I've felt like someone is watching me."

"Eh!?"

Watching!?

Hōshii's unexpected statement made my face twitch. I glanced at Yūji, who also looked tense.

"You two know I have the skill to detect presence, right?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, yeah."

"I started feeling strange presences within my detection range."

According to Hōshii, she began feeling a presence watching her from outside the store immediately after the Golden Week break. The source of the presence was a coin parking lot across the street from the store. The cars parked there changed daily, but during the break, people took turns watching from the same spot.

"So, the rude people the old man mentioned..."

"You have a lead, Yūji?"

"Yeah. I didn't sense it myself, but the old man mentioned it when he was in a bad mood after an event."

"Jūzō..."

Really, who is that old man? To detect surveillance in a crowd without a skill like Hōshii's...

"Kuon, didn't you sense anything?"

"No, I didn't..."

Hōshii's question made me feel the blood drain from my face. I hadn't even considered being watched...

"Probably surveillance agents from the guild. It's hard to think of anything else that would trigger surveillance right after defeating an area boss."

"The guild...?"

"We submitted the red gem as proof of the area boss defeat. I think that triggered it. As I said, there are very few teams that can defeat area bosses. When a small team like ours achieves it, they would want to investigate."

You might be right, Hōshii. For combined teams or corporate teams, it might be assumed they overwhelmed the boss with numbers, but for us...

"Are we considered suspicious characters?"

"Can't say for sure, but it's a possibility."

"True."

A small team of minors capable of defeating an area boss... It's understandable that they would want to investigate. Young people, considered mentally immature, possessing great power... Authorities would want to verify their character.

Given this, I can't agree to increasing the number of people who know about the dungeon."

"Right."

"Agreed. In this situation, it's not a good idea to increase the number of people who know about the dungeon."

Exhausted, Hōshii concluded, and Yūji and I agreed without argument. It's understandable that we can't disclose the existence of the dungeon under surveillance.

This matter will be postponed for now...

By the way, I forgot to confirm one thing.

"By the way, I forgot to confirm, but what about Mika and the others joining the party?"

"Oh, right, that was the main topic."

"True. The other topics were so impactful, I forgot."

Yūji and Hōshii looked startled and averted their gaze from me.

"Well, what do you think? I'm in favor of Mika and the others joining the party. Given the situation, I want to help them in some way. However, I don't recommend leveling up in the slime dungeon..."

"Agreed. I have no objection to Mika and the others joining the party, but I also agree with Yūji. We shouldn't use the slime dungeon."

It seems they agree that Mika and the others can join the party, but they oppose using the slime dungeon for leveling. Indeed, it's not a good idea to reveal the slime dungeon's existence right now.

I glanced at their faces, and it seems they won't change their stance on not using the slime dungeon. I can't help it...

"Alright. In that case, can you help with their leveling for a while? They'll struggle to even swing their weapons without some basic leveling."

"Of course."

"Sure, I don't mind."

I managed to reach a compromise. This way, Mika and the others can avoid unnecessary injuries. Relieved that the negotiation went well, I sighed in relief.

We were under surveillance due to the red gem.

After all, we did defeat an ogre with just three of us.