Chapter 97

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In a certain office in the EU headquarters building, a male minister dispatched from a certain country was listening to an oral explanation from his subordinate, who was serving as a secretary, while looking at the report handed to him.

"Are you saying that the number of refugees entering Europe has decreased significantly?"

"Yes. It seems that the conflicts in the Middle East have subsided due to the appearance of the dungeons."

"I see... Thanks to the appearance of the dungeons, huh."

"Although it's unconfirmed information, it seems that ceasefire negotiations are also being conducted secretly."

"Ceasefire negotiations? Is that true?"

The man raised his head and looked at the secretary with a puzzled gaze.

"Yes. In fact, for about a month, there has been no combat activity on either side. Initially, it was thought that the command system was temporarily confused due to the appearance of the dungeons, but considering that there has been no combat activity for such a long time, it seems that the ceasefire negotiations are not entirely false."

"I see... If it's true, there's no better news than this."

In recent years, the influx of a large number of refugees from the Middle East conflicts into Europe has become a social issue. The costs for refugee support have increased day by day, putting pressure on government finances. Various troubles have arisen due to differences in lifestyle between refugees and nationals. Numerous problems have occurred regarding the refugee issue.

Hearing that the situation would ease due to the appearance of the dungeons, the man let out a small sigh of relief. Even if it's temporary, if the influx of refugees decreases, the prospects for improving the current situation will become clearer.

"By the way, what's the current situation with the dungeon near the border where the government failed to seal it? I heard that local residents formed a vigilante group and sealed the dungeon."

"Ah, well, that's the matter, isn't it..."

The secretary hesitated to answer the man's question. The man momentarily showed a puzzled expression but quickly tightened his expression and urged the secretary to continue.

"According to the latest report, many of the vigilante groups that sealed the dungeon are now collecting money and allowing entry to those who wish to enter the dungeon."

"...What? Weren't they supposed to seal it?"

"At first, they did. However, due to the government's slow response to the dungeons and the spread of information that items dropped from the dungeons can be traded for high prices, the purpose changed to collecting money from those who wish to enter the dungeon. Currently, it is being treated as a local revitalization measure, like a tourist attraction."

"...What?"

The man was speechless at the secretary's report.

While dungeons that appeared in urban areas are closed by the police and military to prevent public entry, those that appeared in rural areas and near borders have been left to local authorities. The result of this is...

"Regulations?"

"Currently, it's impossible. There are no laws regarding the handling of dungeons, and many places where dungeons have appeared are privately or locally owned. If they were on national land, the government could regulate them, but..."

"But, aren't there actual casualties? Wasn't regulation impossible for that reason?"

"The collection of entry fees and the allowance of dungeon entry began after the dangers of the dungeons were widely known. When entering, a death agreement is signed, and the right to claim compensation is waived, so there is no legal responsibility. Since the high risk of death is also known through TV reports, there is little moral responsibility being pursued for those who pay money to enter the dungeon. Without a formal regulation bill..."

The secretary sighed and lowered his eyes, shaking his head.

Generally, the public opinion is that those who go to dangerous areas for money and die are seen as having brought it upon themselves, except in the early stages of dungeon appearances.

"I see. But, it will still take time to draft a bill, and even more time to pass it through the parliament..."

"...It will take some time."

"Yes. If the European Council makes a decision, it would be different, but even then, it will take time to adjust between countries."

The slowness of the union's movements is now affecting the situation.

If it were a problem that was anticipated, the countries could quickly coordinate and act according to the treaty. However, for unforeseen problems, a new treaty needs to be signed. This requires adjusting the interests between countries and drafting the treaty, which is impossible in 1-2 months.

"Regardless, time is needed."

The man let out a small sigh and received the next report from the secretary.

Upon hearing the secretary's report, the man opened his eyes in surprise.

"...Some member countries have enacted domestic laws to promote dungeon exploration?"

"Yes. Government agencies are already responding, and by the end of this month, ordinary citizens who have received permission will be able to freely enter the dungeons."

"Why would they do such a thing..."

The man, looking stunned, read through the report handed to him.

"The countries that passed the dungeon bill all have high unemployment rates within the EU."

"Unemployment rates? ...Ah, I see."

"Yes. Those who enter the dungeons, called explorers, are said to have the status of hunters."

Anyone can become an explorer by registering with the designated agency, which is a good opportunity for employment creation in countries with many unemployed people. The benefits brought by the dungeons are attractive to the state, and explorers can earn money by killing monsters with minimal investment. If risk management is done properly, it's not a bad job, and could even be considered attractive.

Moreover, many of the unemployed are young people. They are not unwilling to work but lack job opportunities. The creation of the explorer job, which offers high risk and high returns and appeals to the interests of young people with magic and skills, is a significant opportunity.

"Are they sending young people to their deaths for the government's convenience..."

"In the countries that decided to introduce the bill, unemployment was a major social issue. Reducing unemployment would increase government tax revenue and help rebuild the national economy. The various items from the dungeons, such as healing potions, were also extremely attractive to the state."

"Even so, at the very least, dungeon exploration should be limited to trained military personnel. It's not right to involve civilians with no training..."

The man, lowering his eyes, argued against the secretary's matter-of-fact tone.

"I agree. However, without a bill on the handling of dungeons submitted to the European Parliament, what can we say to the countries that have decided to introduce it?"

"...That's true. Since the union has not provided any guidelines on dungeons, the countries have taken independent actions."

"Yes. This is the result of the union's slow response."

The man felt powerless and could not say anything in response to the secretary's words.

The man glanced at a newspaper article and leaned back in his chair, looking up at the sky.

"Once it gets to this point, it can't be stopped."

The front page of the newspaper the man was reading featured a headline about Japan's successful core crystal power generation.

This announcement, coming at a time when the added value of dungeons was being recognized despite their dangers, was a painful blow to the man, who had opposed civilian entry into dungeons.

"High-output, non-polluting clean energy... If such a thing can be obtained from dungeons, the government will have no choice but to relax regulations on civilian entry."

Decarbonization. And the internalization of energy resources. These alone are highly attractive, and the announcement, coming amidst changes in the energy structure for the reduction of greenhouse gases in Europe, was extremely appealing.

"Future electricity demand is bound to increase. Given the public's aversion to nuclear power since the Japanese nuclear accident, the need for a stable, high-output power generation method is self-evident. If this news is true, it will become the next generation of power generation to replace nuclear power. In that case, to secure fuel, the government will have to allow civilians to enter the dungeons..."

Thinking this far, the man shook his head from side to side.

Even if the overall trend cannot be changed, there are still things that can be changed.

"Then, at the very least, we need to work on creating regulations to prevent untrained civilians from entering the dungeons..."

The man, as if regaining his determination, slapped his cheeks with both hands.

The man sighed after hearing the secretary's report.

"Although it was a situation we anticipated, I didn't expect it to unfold so predictably..."

"Deterioration of public order, illegal item black market trading, a sharp increase in crimes by explorers, and the activation of the mafia... It's just as we predicted during the consideration stage."

"Yes, especially the countries that introduced the explorer system early are in a bad state. It's hard to say that the security forces are adequately responding to the situation."

"According to our investigation, in the countries that introduced the explorer system early, the application process involved document review and interviews, but it was not thorough. To handle the large number of applicants, in the early stages of registration, the application documents were barely checked, and applicants were almost unconditionally approved as explorers after a cursory interview."

The man sighed at the secretary's words.

"Self-inflicted. By being lazy... "

"Yes. Also, because the explorer system was introduced too quickly, the average level of the security forces and the explorers is not much different, which is a problem. The security forces lack the deterrent power to effectively deal with explorers who commit crimes. As a result, the shooting rate of explorer criminals is abnormally high."

"Yes."

The man, with a bitter expression, affirmed the secretary's words.

As the secretary said, due to the lack of a significant level difference between the security forces and the explorers, many situations arise where security forces suffer casualties when trying to apprehend rampaging explorer criminals. In such cases, the action taken by the security forces is a long-distance gun battle using firearms. This results in the frequent death of explorer criminals.

"The early introduction of the explorer system is an unfortunate situation for both sides."

"Yes. At the very least, it would have been wiser to hold off on the introduction until the security authorities had developed enough to serve as a deterrent. The fact that many member states were pressured by public opinion and adopted the explorer system in a piecemeal manner was a significant mistake."

"The division among member states regarding the adoption of the explorer system was also a mistake."

The interests could not be aligned, and the EU-wide bill on dungeons has yet to be finalized. In the end, other member states adopted the explorer system in a form of recognition of the countries that introduced it early.

"The black market trading of prohibited items is also a problem. You know about the incident last week where animals died in large numbers due to a dungeon-produced poison, right?"

"Yes. The incident where a minor explorer threw poisoned food into a stray dog gathering, right?"

"Yes. The poison used in that incident was supposed to be incinerated and not enter the market. Yet, it was available."

"Either it wasn't checked or it was diverted... Either way, it's a mess..."

The man sighed. This incident, which did not result in human casualties, was still one of the better cases. Items obtained through illegal trading frequently cause such incidents.

"Yes. Also, it has been confirmed that the profits from these trades are a source of funding for the mafia."

"Is the trade being cracked down on?"

"It is, but the trades being cracked down on are only at the lowest level, involving only the dealers. The mafia itself remains untouched."

"I see."

Due to the lack of proper screening, many mafia members are now entering dungeons while hiding their identities. As a result, the police cannot easily take action against the mafia, and a cat-and-mouse game continues.

"Regardless, we have failed by pursuing short-term gains."

"Yes, unfortunately, that's the only conclusion we can draw."

The man and the secretary sighed simultaneously.

The man slammed the newspaper he was holding onto the desk.

"Can't take it anymore!"

The crumpled newspaper reported that conflicts in the Middle East had reignited.

The man, who had been working to improve deteriorated public order and solve illegal item issues due to the failure in handling the dungeon problem, let out a burst of pent-up frustration.

"With so many problems piled up, and now the refugee issue again!? How many more problems can there be!?"

The man's pent-up frustration continued to pour out in endless complaints. Fortunately, the man's office was soundproofed for confidentiality, so his outbursts did not leak out and be heard by anyone, except for the secretary who was handling paperwork in the same room.

"...Are you calm now?"

"Yes, sorry for the display."

Seeing that the man had finished venting, the secretary offered a bottle of water. The man drank the water in one go.

"...The conflict has resumed."

"Yes. And it seems that explorers are participating as soldiers..."

"That's right. Infantry equipped with heavy weapons are said to be running around the battlefield at the same speed as armored vehicles."

The man glared at the newspaper he had slammed on the desk.

"Refugees will likely flood into Europe again."

"Yes, and in numbers that cannot be compared to before."

"Enhanced infantry firepower and mobility mean that the battlefield will expand into urban areas. Residents who have been holding back on evacuating may start heading for Europe."

"If that happens, even more chaos will ensue..."

The two looked at each other and sighed, feeling that the second act of Europe's suffering, which began with the appearance of the dungeons, was about to begin.

This is the European chapter.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the union's lack of coordination has exacerbated the chaos.