When I returned from exploring the dungeon to save the world, I found out that my lover had been stolen, and I was blamed for the failed expedition. Enraged, I quit Japan's strongest party—only for them to self-destruct on their own. - Chapter 16

The day after my casual streaming session, I took a leisurely stroll through the city before heading to the Dungeon Association.

I didn’t have any particular reason for going. If I had to give one, I suppose it was just because I had time to spare.

Some might think, You’re an explorer, so go explore! But right now, my uncle has instructed me to stay out of the way while they renovate the Dungeon Association.

By “renovate,” I don’t mean turning the building into a flying fortress or a giant robot.

It seems they’re purging the corrupt officials—starting with Kazuno, who was arrested for embezzlement and various other offenses—and replacing them with new personnel.

Mikawa, who used to be the reception leader, has now been promoted to head of the entire reception department. She looked incredibly busy as she hurried past me.

She’s definitely doing that on purpose, isn’t she?

Well, she does look genuinely busy, so I won’t bother her. If she were really drowning in work, she wouldn’t have had the time to type “IDIOT!!!!!!!!” in my stream chat.

Strange. I vaguely remember once admiring her as a cool and elegant lady… Let’s just shove that memory into the farthest corner of my mind.

That being said, I am an explorer.

I need to explore, collect dropped items, and earn a daily income.

Wow, I’m so responsible.

“Can I enter a dungeon now?”

“Huh? Oh, Sir Koichi. Please wait a moment while I check for you.”

“Sure, thanks.”

A cute receptionist I hadn’t seen before—dressed in what appeared to be a shrine maiden outfit for some reason—was handling my request. I took a seat in the lobby while I waited.

This was an exclusive lounge for A-rank and above explorers, so it was nice and quiet.

Plus, free drinks. Perfect. Cola~ Cola~ Ginger ale~ Cola~

“Sir Koichi!”

“Yes, yes, I’m here.”

By the time I had downed four cups of juice, the receptionist called for me.

“I sincerely apologize, but for now, we must ask you to refrain from exploring… per the Guild Master’s orders.”

“My uncle? Huh, so it’s still off-limits?”

Why am I not allowed to explore in the first place?

Could it be that, with all the internal purges going on, they just don’t have the capacity to handle the administrative work if I break another floor record?

If that’s the case…

“I won’t go past the 101st floor. I don’t mind just fooling around on the 98th floor or something.”

“You mean… just casually playing beyond the 96th floor, where hundreds of those monstrous dragons were found dead…?”

As I made my proposal, the receptionist muttered something under her breath while staring blankly downward.

Uh… Did I say something wrong?

While I sipped on a few more cups of juice, the shrine maiden receptionist seemed to recover and went to double-check my request.

Cola~ Cola~ Ginger ale~ Cola~

“I apologize, but we have received a request to keep you out of the Tokyo Dungeon for now.”

“Whaaaaat!?”

“I-I’m so sorry! Please don’t kill me!”

“Whoa, whoa, why are you assuming the worst?”

I haven’t done anything to make her that scared, have I?

“Koichi. Stop scaring the poor receptionist and come with me.”

Just as I was flustered, my uncle appeared. Saved!

…Though when I glanced at the receptionist, she had the exact same expression as me. Unbelievable.

“Sorry about that.”

“Is there a reason for this?”

“Yes. You and your team recently cleared the 100th floor of the Tokyo Dungeon, right? When that happened, a stone tablet in the World Dungeon Association lit up—but it wasn’t black. In contrast, the one in China turned black when they cleared their 100th floor, meaning their dungeon truly ended there. But since the Tokyo Dungeon’s stone didn’t turn black, it implies there’s more beyond the 100th floor. Because of this, we currently have dispatched investigators inside the Tokyo Dungeon, and until their work is complete, we have to ask all high-ranked explorers to refrain from entering.”

“I see. So it’s not just me—all high-ranking explorers are restricted. That means the issue isn’t me personally but the Tokyo Dungeon itself?”

“Exactly. Would you like to explore somewhere else? Sapporo, perhaps?”

“Ugh, I hate the cold. How about Beijing?”

I recalled the survey results from yesterday’s stream and casually brought it up. That was a mistake.

“Are you trying to cause an international incident!?”

Mikawa had yelled something similar at me before, but unlike her, my uncle was a gentleman and refrained from typing “IDIOT!!!!!!!!” in my chat.

Still, Beijing was out of the question.

Even though the dungeon there had already been cleared, I was warned not to provoke national pride and political sensitivities.

In that case, maybe I should head to the Pacific Dungeon.

Just as we were talking, my uncle’s office phone rang.

This was the direct line to the head of the Japan Dungeon Association.

If it was some high-ranking official, I wanted no part of it. I was about to slip away, but my uncle grabbed my shoulder.

Wait… Does this involve me?

“This is Kamiya speaking.” (In English.)

“This is Florence Rievelt of the World Dungeon Association. It has been a while, Kamiya.” (In English.)

The person on the other end was none other than Florence Rievelt, the President of the World Dungeon Association. Even I knew that name.

That was about all I understood, though.

I bet my uncle assumed I could understand English, which is why he made me stay, but joke’s on him—I didn’t catch a thing.

“So, Koichi, can I count on you?”

“For what?”

“Huh?”

“I don’t understand English at all.”

“…I see.”

Why does he look so disappointed? Give me a break. I’ve spent most of my life holed up in dungeons. I barely went to school.

With a sigh, my uncle explained the situation.

The stone tablet held by the World Dungeon Association depicts what are believed to be high-ranking dungeons. It was originally thought to display seven dungeons, but in reality, there are more than ten. Some dungeons seem to end at the 100th floor, while others extend beyond. They want me to challenge the Pacific Dungeon to confirm whether it ends at the 100th floor or continues beyond.

Hmm.

This aligns with what I wanted to do anyway, so I have no complaints.

Alright, let’s do it.

“By the way, what’s the reward?”

“A monetary reward would be difficult, but…”

“You’ll still buy any dropped items, right?”

“Of course. Additionally, we can provide information on the locations of other high-rank dungeons besides D7 and the Pacific Dungeon.”

“I know there’s one in the Arctic… So, there are more?”

“Yes… I assume you’re interested?”

“Naturally.”

There are over ten dungeons. The Pacific and Arctic Dungeons are just two of them, and excluding D7, that means at least one or two more are out there. If there’s one in the Arctic, there has to be one in Antarctica too.

That means there are still plenty of unexplored, exciting places left.

Not to mention, there’s still the question of what lies beyond the 101st floor.

Cool monsters, hidden treasures, incredible artifacts—there must be plenty more to discover.

I can’t wait!