Chapter 8

"Excuse me, can you call Mr. Kudo for me? ... I came to sell some magic stones, but I also want to discuss raising the authorized exploration floor."

When it was my turn... I asked the receptionist.

"Raising the authorized exploration floor... Yes, that is under Mr. Kudo's jurisdiction. Understood."

The receptionist said and then called Mr. Kudo to replace him.

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"Hey, it's you, Furuya. What's up?"

"Been hunting on the 4th floor for a while, so I came to sell some magic stones... and also to discuss raising the authorized exploration floor."

When Mr. Kudo arrived... I said this while placing the 10 magic stones I obtained on the 4th floor on the counter. Then... Mr. Kudo's expression changed.

"W... 10 magic stones from the 4th floor all at once...!?"

Mr. Kudo seemed taken aback by the number of magic stones laid out.

"I see... So this is what it means to have unlimited immediate mana recovery. Seeing the actual results is truly a terrifying sight..."

Mr. Kudo, with trembling hands, proceeded to process the transaction. When he finished... he handed me two bills and said,

"The magic stones from the 4th floor are 1500 yen each, so that's a total of 15,000 yen. Seriously, the reward for someone who just finished a guide is enough to drive you crazy..."

"Thank you."

I immediately put the 15,000 yen in my wallet.

15,000 yen in just one hour... Indeed, this is a much better job than any part-time job I've done before. I can see a vision of recovering the 1,000,000 yen I lost in forex trading.

"Are these all the drops?"

While thinking about this, Mr. Kudo asked.

"No, actually, I also got a leather outfit... I was thinking of using it myself if it seems useful."

In response, I took the leather outfit out of the shopping bag and answered.

"That's... the leather armor from the 4th floor. It increases your HP by 20% when worn, so I recommend wearing it inside the dungeon."

Then Mr. Kudo explained the effects of the outfit.

"Is that so? Then I'll wear it next time I go in."

Since it's a product of the dungeon, it's probably a good item, but I was a bit hesitant to wear it at first, thinking it might be a cursed armor. But it seems my worries were unfounded. With Mr. Kudo's approval, I'll wear it properly from next time. With that in mind, I answered.

... And then, the main topic of raising the authorized exploration floor.

"By the way... I haven't acquired any elemental attack magic skills, but my Mana Ball has evolved to V3. It has an effect called 'Pierces Non-Elemental Attack Nullification'... Does this qualify for raising the authorized exploration floor?"

I changed the subject and asked.

"Wh-What!? Mana Ball... V3?"

Then... Mr. Kudo asked in a high-pitched voice. After a moment of silence... he asked again.

"... V3!?"

It seems Mr. Kudo was only impressed by the part about the Mana Ball evolving to V3.

"Um... Is a V3 Mana Ball that rare?"

"Rare is an understatement... V3 is usually a level of evolution that takes a year for basic magic and several years for advanced magic. And for a Mana Ball, most adventurers don't use it as their primary attack method... so it's probably unprecedented for a Mana Ball to reach V3."

Upon hearing this, it seems that evolving to V3 is quite rare.

Indeed... the evolution conditions range from 100 to 10,000 times. If you can meet the conditions with a number close to the minimum, that's one thing, but otherwise, it makes sense that it would take time...

... But that's not the point.

"So... How will the 'Pierces Non-Elemental Attack Nullification' be handled?"

I didn't come to ask how rare a V3 Mana Ball is; I came to ask if the authorized exploration floor would be raised. To get back to the main topic, I asked again.

"Well... Let me check..."

Mr. Kudo said, took out a tablet from a drawer, and started searching. He was probably checking the rulebook. After a few minutes, Mr. Kudo looked up and answered.

"... It seems there's no problem. While a V3 Mana Ball is unprecedented... there have been cases where other skills achieved the same effect of piercing non-elemental attack nullification. So, the V3 Mana Ball should be treated the same way... Yes, let's raise the authorized exploration floor to the 10th floor for now."

Successfully... the authorized exploration floor was raised.

"Seriously... You're planning to challenge the 8th floor already?"

As I was about to leave the counter... Mr. Kudo asked.

"No, not yet. ... By the way, what kind of monsters are on the 5th floor?"

In response... I thought I might as well ask about the next floor.

"5th floor? Oh, there... it's mostly wolf-type monsters. The damage you need to deal is much higher than on the 4th floor, but their movements are like those of a mischievous medium-sized dog, so you should be able to handle it."

"I see... Thank you."

Since I had the chance, I decided to go to the 5th floor next.

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And then... on the 5th floor.

"Phew... It's pretty easy."

I was able to defeat the first monster with the usual V3 Mana Ball rapid fire.

This time, I deliberately slowed my firing rate to about half the usual speed... but even so, I was able to defeat the monster without a scratch. I didn't do this to show off... but to test if I could safely defeat the monster even if surrounded from both sides.

Unlike the Lesser Rock Golems, which are almost like statues despite being tough, the monsters on this floor move quite normally. I wanted to know if I could handle the worst-case scenario.

Well, it seems I can... so from now on, I'll start the serious exploration of the 5th floor.

While thinking about this, I went to pick up the drops. But... the drops this time were a bit unusual.

Instead of magic stones, clothes, or weapons, two bent pieces of wire dropped.

Seeing this... I had a pretty good idea what these drops were.

They're probably dowsing rods. If I can use these to find monsters more efficiently, I should be able to progress even faster.