The Reward for the World's Strongest Explorer's Perfect Dungeon Conquest is apparently Marriage to me, who is known as an S-rank Fraud - Chapter 9

“……”

“……”

After returning from the dungeon, Shia and I simply stared at each other.

Our hearts were still pounding.

“Damn, that was brutal.”

“I thought we were dead.”

When fear cycles through enough times, it turns into laughter.

Apparently, Shia felt the same.

“We should take this drone footage to Araki right away, huh?”

The Named Boss of the 150th floor was able to descend to the 50th floor of its own will.

Its full power was unknown, but even Shia—the strongest explorer—had prepared for death in its presence.

If something like this happened in another dungeon, even S-rank explorers might get instantly wiped out.

“We have to report this.”

“Yeah, figured as much. Alright—”

I pulled out my phone.

“Hello? Araki? Yeah, it’s me. You’re in a special parliamentary session? Yeah, yeah, whatever—this is way more urgent. Shibuya Dungeon. Uh-huh. Yep. Got it.”

“What did Araki say?”

“He’s leaving parliament and heading back to HQ.”

“Mm.”

And with that, Shia and I hopped into a taxi and headed to the Dungeon Bureau HQ.

“Yo—Araki here? It’s Hayama.”

“Yes, Minister Araki is expecting you. Please proceed to the 8th floor, Special Conference Room.”

“Thanks~.”

We took the elevator up, heading to a familiar meeting room.

“Glad you two made it. Now—how bad is it?”

As soon as we stepped inside, a massive screen displayed footage of the Named Boss—Belgrimous.

I had sent the drone footage in advance, so they had already started analyzing it.

Inside the room were Sasaki and Eri, both with grim expressions.

“Well, let’s see… It was bad enough that even I thought I was going to die.”

“If I had to choose, I’d rather fight 100 of the 100th-floor bosses than go against him.”

Araki’s temple twitched, and his face contorted.

“…Goddamn it. Alright, first things first—check if this has happened in other dungeons. After the full clearance, there haven’t been many explorers stepping on the 50th floor, so there’s a chance we don’t have reports yet.”

“Understood. Should we issue an investigation request?”

Sasaki asked, but Araki shook his head.

*”If we launch an official investigation, we need proper preparations. But tell me—how exactly do we prepare for a Named Boss from the 150th floor?

First, we need more information.

Kuma, do you think they can move between any floors?”*

Why was he asking me?

Moving between any floor?

*”Hell if I know. But if I had to guess, I’d say their movement is restricted to Named Boss rooms.

Since the 100th-floor boss was No-Name, the only Named Boss rooms in this dungeon should be the 50th and 150th floors.

I don’t know about the 110th or 120th floors, but considering how dungeons are designed to be straightforward, I doubt it.”*

*”Hmm. I’m inclined to agree. But we can’t confirm anything yet.

What do you all think? If anyone has a different perspective, speak up.”*

We barely had any data, so it was all just theory at this point.

Several opinions were raised, but none provided concrete answers.

*”There’s no point debating this further for now.

However, this situation is far too serious.

We need to go public, even if it’s just based on possibilities.

Sasaki—how high is the emergency rating?”*

“KK… I believe.”

Sasaki’s face was dead serious.

“Takayama?”

“I agree. KK… There’s no other option.”

Eri also confirmed.

Araki’s face twisted in frustration.

*”…Dammit. No choice, then.

We’re issuing an Emergency KK.

Sasaki, Takayama—start the preparations.”*

“Understood!”

The two quickly left the room.

“Araki, what’s KK?”

To be honest, I had no clue either.

I had just been nodding along, pretending I understood.

Shia had saved me by asking.

*”…The thing I hate most in the world…

K者K見.

Kisha Kiken.

…A press conference.”*

Araki looked absolutely miserable as he said it.

A Few Hours Later—

In just a few hours, the press conference had been fully arranged, and dozens of reporters had gathered.

Dungeon-related matters always drew high government attention.

Shia and I were watching from the adjacent monitoring room.

*”Thank you all for coming today.

I will begin by explaining the reason for this emergency press conference.”*

As Araki spoke into the microphone, the cameras all turned toward him.

Lately, I had been seeing him like this way too often.

*”We have received critical information from an explorer, indicating the possibility of an anomaly occurring within the dungeons.

After careful assessment, the Dungeon Bureau has determined that this matter cannot be ignored.”*

“Minister Araki! The dungeons are still open as usual, but if there’s an anomaly, shouldn’t entry be restricted or prohibited?!”

A reporter shouted without even waiting for a question period.

Other reporters echoed the sentiment.

*”Let me be clear—this is still a possibility, not a confirmed event.

Stopping all dungeon activity is not a decision we can take lightly.

If this were an issue that could be resolved within a day or two, we would shut them down.

However, without a clear resolution timeline, halting all dungeon exploration would accelerate the Doomsday Timer—

…And we will not allow Japan’s explorers to be targeted by global resentment because of it.”*

If they shut down the dungeons, people would complain.

If they didn’t, people would also complain.

Either way, there’d be backlash.

*”Now, let me explain the anomaly itself.

As you all know, dungeons contain Named Bosses—special monsters that serve as floor bosses.

Their appearance may resemble common E-rank monsters, but their combat power is on an entirely different scale.

Defeating a Named Boss is considered the minimum qualification for an S-rank explorer.”*

The tension in the conference room grew thicker.

They all knew where this was going.

A nightmare scenario was unfolding.

I never truly understood just how much a name could mean.

Not until now.

Having a name is something to be grateful for—something that can even be moving.

But the only time you get to fully appreciate that is when you’re about to be killed by a Named Boss.

*”…As of yesterday, the only confirmed Named Boss remains on the 50th floor.

After reviewing the War Goddess’s report, it is confirmed that the 100th-floor boss is No-Name.”*

Shia’s name was mentioned, and the atmosphere in the room began to shift.

The journalists started murmuring, their expressions a mix of confusion and curiosity.

“What’s going on?”

“What are they about to announce?”

“Based on this latest report, it is now suspected that the Named Boss of the 150th floor has the ability to move to the 50th-floor boss chamber.”

What?! What?! What?!

The journalists erupted in chaos, shouting over one another.

Meanwhile, Araki casually phrased it as if it was confirmed—that the mobility was limited to the 50th floor.

*”Calm down! I repeat—this is only a possibility that has been suggested.

At present, very few explorers frequently reach the 50th floor.

Furthermore, those who do reach that floor possess high danger awareness.

We are issuing this statement to increase awareness and encourage explorers to proceed with caution.

If any explorer notices an abnormality—such as a Named Boss speaking differently, having different equipment, or using a different name—they must immediately retreat.”*

*”Wait a minute! Give us specific examples!

Who provided this information?

Which dungeon did this happen in?!

And what proof do you have that it was from the 150th floor?”*

Now, if it was revealed that I was the source of this report…

This press conference would explode into chaos, just like last time.

Araki would probably snap and break another table in half.

At this point, the bureau had even prepared an extra-durable folding table just in case.

*”The identity of the source cannot be disclosed due to privacy protections.

Likewise, the dungeon name will not be shared, as it could lead to the identification of the individual and disrupt dungeon operations—”*

“IT’S SHIBUYA DUNGEON, ISN’T IT?!”

A journalist heckled from the crowd.

It was no secret that Shibuya Dungeon was my home base.

The moment the name “Shibuya Dungeon” appeared in news articles or magazines, half the time it was because I was involved in some controversy.

Hahaha.

“The reason we suspect it was a 150th-floor boss is because…

The Named Boss in question explicitly stated so.”

“So you’re just taking a monster’s word for it?”

“Of course not. We are not blindly accepting the statement.

*However, the presence and behavior of this monster were clearly beyond that of a typical 50th-floor Named Boss.

That is why we have made this judgment.”

“Do you have footage?”

“…Yes, but we cannot release it.”

*”Ah, here we go again—another government cover-up!

Isn’t it the Dungeon Bureau’s duty to provide explorers with information to mitigate risk?!”*

Damn.

That reporter actually had a point.

Araki was visibly tense, his voice caught in his throat for a moment.

*”A-Anyway!

To all explorers attempting the 50th floor, proceed with maximum caution.

Always keep retreat in mind.

Furthermore, if anyone notices irregularities inside the dungeon, report them to the Dungeon Bureau immediately!

Even if the information is uncertain or unclear, we will investigate.

Your privacy will be strictly protected.

That concludes today’s press conference.

If we receive further updates, we will announce them accordingly.

That is all.”*

Staring daggers at the journalists, Araki said his piece and left the conference room.

Yeah, he was definitely more of a politician than an explorer now.